The Five Meditating Buddhas - An Enquiry into Spiritual Aesthetics

Long, long ago, before the idea
called history evolved, there existed a sexless
entity called the Adi-Buddha or Primordial Buddha.
From ‘Him’ emerged the duality which
was to be the potential progenitor of all creation.
This dual element is visualized in Buddhist aesthetics
either as the deity Vajrasattva or Vajradhara.

The
significant characteristic common to them is the
bell (female) and thunderbolt (male), which they
hold in their hands. These deities are believed
to be two expressions of the same principle, and
the wellspring of all creation.

The above hierarchy is essentially
spiritual. It represents an idealized abstract state,
graspable only to those on an elevated mental plane.
Ordinary mortals like us, require some kind of a
concrete expression to bring forth a heartfelt response.

In Buddhism, the path to spiritual
salvation is not envisioned as some lofty abstract
journey, rather it is stressed that the attainment
of enlightenment involves a profound transformation
in our innermost being. But how is such a dramatic
transformation to come about? The answer is said
to lie within those very inherent negative traits
which keep us spiritually imprisoned and unfulfilled.
The same knotted energy that feeds the poisonous
delusions, when unknotted, empowers and enlightens
the mind.

In its typical penchant for
classification and categorization, Vajrayana Buddhism
divides the negative delusions plaguing the human
form into five categories. These are: ignorance,
anger, pride, attachment, and jealousy. They are
said to be the sum total of all factors which keep
us away from enlightenment. But hope lies in the
belief that the human mind holds within itself the
potential to metamorphose these negative traits
into positive attributes. In a supreme moment of
creative inspiration, which can be counted amongst
the highest achievements in the history of human
aesthetic instinct, these transformed emotions are
visualized as five different, beautiful and resplendent
Buddhas. Invariably seated upon their auspicious
lotus thrones, they are known collectively as the
Dhyani Buddhas. This is in consistency with their
iconographic representations, where they are inevitably
shown seated in the posture of meditation, known
in Sanskrit as Dhyana. They are also known as ‘jina,’
meaning victory, signifying a conceptual victory
over our unenlightened minds.

All
the five Dhyani Buddhas are said to have originated
from Vajrasattva himself. But it needs to be appreciated
here, that though they have all sprung from the
same spiritual father, these Buddhas nevertheless
have important physical differences. For example,
each displays a different hand mudra, is associated
with a different direction, rides a different animal,
denotes a particular moment in the life of the historical
Buddha, and has a different color.

The last is a unique contribution
to the aesthetic heritage which is shared by all
humanity. Indeed, the link between our negative
emotions, and the positive qualities into which
the Dhyani Buddhas transform them can be illustrated
most directly through the medium and experience
of color. It is well known that changing the color
of our surroundings can have a profound effect on
our state of mind. Color also expresses our emotions,
as when we say that we are green with envy or feeling
blue. Color is logically thus one of the significant
means through which Buddhist art gives a tangible
form to human emotions and nowhere is this more
explicitly displayed than in the typical iconography
of the five Dhyani Buddhas.

Each of the five Buddhas first
identifies a specific human failing and then helps
us in transforming it into a positive attribute,
bringing about the spiritual evolution required
for enlightenment. How they inspire us to achieve
this transition through their traditional iconography
is discussed below.

The five Dhyani Buddhas are:

1). Vairochana

2). Akshobhya

3). Ratnasambhava

4). Amitabha

5). Amoghasiddhi

1). Vairochana, The King (Tib. Namnang)

In the Rigveda (the world’s
earliest codified text) the word ‘vairochana’
has the connotation of a brilliant and luminous
sun. Indeed, Vairochana in Tibetan is called ‘Namnang,
meaning ‘The illuminator.’

Vairochana
displays the Dharmachakra mudra. Dharmachakra in
Sanskrit means the 'Wheel of Dharma'. This mudra
symbolizes one of the most important moments in
the historical life of the Buddha, the occasion
when he preached to his companions the first sermon
after his Enlightenment in the Deer Park at Sarnath.
It thus denotes the setting into motion of the Wheel
of the teaching of the Dharma.

Vairochana
is an idealization of this central function of the
Buddha as a teacher, without which there would have
been no Buddhism, and no path to enlightenment open
before us.

The wheel he is conceptually
turning was once a solar symbol in ancient India
and later came to be a signifier of kinghood. The
logical reasoning being that as the sun is the originator
and nourisher of the earth, so is a king to his
people. Also consistent with this context is the
fact that Vairochana is said to rule from the center
of the world, with the complete Vajrayana pantheon
(including the other four Dhyani Buddhas) arrayed
around him. Similarly, the sun too is the center
of the solar system; likewise a king is the de facto
center of his domain.

Significantly, Vairochana is
said to be the sum of all the Dhyani Buddhas and
combines all their qualities. He is therefore, pure
white, since white is a blend of all colors.

Indeed, his lotus seat is supported
by a pair of two great lions. The lion is the king
of beasts and when he roars all others fall silent.
Similar is the roar of Buddha’s teachings,
in relation to the grandeur of which all other voices
of our everyday life become insignificant and fall
silent. Not surprisingly, meditating on the image
of Vairochana is specifically believed to transform
the delusion of ignorance into the wisdom preached
by the Dharma. When Gautama Buddha turned the wheel
of the Dharma, it illuminated (like a sun), the
hearts of men and women darkened by ignorance.

Vairochana’s distinguishing
emblem is the golden or solar wheel.

2). Akshobhya, The Mirror to Our Souls (Tib. Mikyopa):

According to the Tibetan Dhammapada:

Those who control their
wrath when it rears up
As they would a horse when it strays loose,
I call ‘the best trainers,’
those who do not, are common beings.

Akshobhya is believed to transform
the human failing of anger into a clear mirror-like
wisdom. With this wisdom, we see things just as
they are, impartially and unaffectedly. Indeed,
whether it be a red rose or a bloody dagger, a mirror
will reflect both just as they are. It will not
be judgmental and distinguish between the two reds,
attempting to hold to the first and flee from the
second. No reflection in a mirror sticks to it,
and none repels it. The mirror always stands imperturbable
and immutable, just as we should, whether the circumstances
be favorable or unfavorable to us.

Akshobhya’s blue color
is closely linked to the mirror symbolism. Blue
is the color of water, and water has the capacity
to act as a clear mirror.

He
makes the Bhumisparsha mudra (earth touching gesture).
This gesture recalls the incident just before Buddha’s
enlightenment when he was challenged by Mara, the
personification of evil. Mara was convinced that
the spiritual throne where Buddha was sitting belonged
rightly to him. Accordingly he challenged Buddha
to prove his claim to the seat. Buddha moved his
hand to touch the ground with his fingertips, and
thus bid the goddess Earth to bear witness to his
right to be sitting where he was. She did so with
a hundred thousand roars, and validated Buddha’s
assertion.

More relevant to our interest
here is the fact that this gesture suggests confidence,
deep-rootedness, and the same kind of determination
which carried the Buddha to his enlightenment, inspite
of the numerous hurdles which crossed his path.

Akshobhya’s emblem is
the vajra. The Vajra is the quintessential symbol
of Vajrayana Buddhism, which derives its name from
the vajra itself. The Sanskrit term vajra means
'the hard or mighty one', and its Tibetan equivalent
dorje means an indestructible hardness and brilliance
like the diamond, which cannot be cut or broken.
The vajra essentially signifies the immovable, immutable,
indivisible, and indestructible state of enlightenment.
Thus is Akshobhya touching the earth with the fingertips
of his right hand, the earth too being a symbol
of the immutable, the solid, and the concrete.

Akshobhya’s mount is the
elephant. An elephant places its foot upon the earth
with unshakeable certainty. It has the same unalterable
quality as the Buddha’s fingers touching the
ground, and the same determination that carried
Buddha through his tribulations.

Akshobhya is considered the ruler
over the eastern direction. It is the direction
where dawn takes place. Indeed, Buddha’s victory
over Mara heralded the dawning of a new, spiritual
reality.

3). Ratnasambhava, The Gem of a Buddha (Tib.
Gyalwa Rinjung):

Ratnasambhava is believed to
transform the negative human trait of pride into
the wisdom of sameness. This wisdom brings out the
common features of human experience and makes us
see the common humanity underlying all men and women.
It makes us see ourselves as fellow-beings, organically
united to the total stream of humanity. In this
state of enlightenment, there is nobody superior
or inferior to the other, leaving no scope for pride
to develop.

Ratnasambhava displays the Varada
mudra.

This mudra symbolizes charity
and boon granting. Indeed his distinct emblem is
a jewel (ratna), associating him with riches and
Ratnasambhava is sometimes described as the Buddha
of giving. But he makes no distinction and gives
freely to all (the wisdom of sameness). All beings
are equally precious to him. Whatever our social
position, race, sex, or life form, we are all made
from a common clay. The grace of Ratnasambhava shines
equally on the palace and dung heap. Meditating
on his wisdom we develop solidarity with all humanity,
nay with all forms of life.

The wisdom of sameness gives
us the clarity of mind to perceive in the correct
perspective, the eight experiences, arranged into
four pairs. These are gain and loss, fame and disgrace,
praise and blame, and pleasure and pain. These experiences
always come in pairs. If we chase one we will lay
ourselves open to the other. For example, if we
pursue pleasure, we will undoubtedly at some time
experience pain too. This is a spiritual expression
of Newton’s third law of dynamics namely that
‘each and every action in the universe has
an equal and opposite reaction.’

Ratnasambhava’s color is
yellow. This is the color of the earth. The earth
too is extremely generous in sharing with us her
riches. Also she gives without any expectation or
favor in return. She gives and also receives all
equally. The earth is thus the great leveler. Similarly,
Ratnasambhava’s radiance dissolves all boundaries
of self and the other. We can then just share with
others – without any associated sense of giving,
because giving requires a ‘self’ to
give and ‘others’ to receive, a duality
which Ratnasambhava helps us transcend.

The animal associated with Ratnasambhava
is the horse, who ferries over the suffering beings
with full vigor. It also suggests a journey, a spiritual
voyage such as that on which the Buddha-to-be set
forth when he left his life at home, riding on his
faithful charger.

In Tibetan art, the horse is
often shown carrying jewels on its back. This is
a further reinforcement of its relation with Ratnasambhava.

Ratnasambhava guards over the
direction south. The sun is in the south at noon-time.
Its rays are then a light-golden-yellow, the hue
of Ratnasambhava himself.

4). Amitabha, The Gentle and Lovable Buddha (Tib.
Opame):

Amitabha
is undoubtedly the most well known and popular of
the five Dhyani Buddhas. He is red in color. In
Tibetan Buddhism, red is the color of love, compassion,
and emotional energy.

His direction is the west. It
is in this direction that sunset takes place and
indeed he is envisioned as the setting sun (red).
During sunset, the sun is gentle, and we can directly
look into its fierce power, without coming to any
harm. As it disappears into the west, the sun is
like a proud and fierce king, who at the end of
a hard day of rigid protocol turns gentle and jovial,
and allows anyone to approach him. Amitabha is thus
the supreme power and energy of nature, cast on
an earthly plain, accessible to all of us. No wonder
he is the most popular of all Dhyani Buddhas.

His unique emblem is the lotus. He is thus associated
with all the attributes of the lotus: gentleness,
openness, and purity.

Amitabha’s mount is the peacock, which is
capable of swallowing poisonous snakes without coming
to harm. In fact, the peacock is believed to derive
its rich plumage from the poison of the snakes on
which it feeds. This symbolism, of being open even
to poison, and transmuting it into beauty, gives
us a feeling of the purifying and transforming power
of Amitabha. For us ordinary mortals, it signifies
that even our darkest and most venomous aspects
can be transformed by meditating on his image.

Amitabha’s image has both
a simplicity and archetypal quality to it. His demeanor
is totally relaxed and his hands are in the Dhyana
mudra, the mudra of meditation.

According to tradition, this
mudra derives from the one assumed by the Buddha
when he was meditating under the pipal tree, in
the pursuit of Nirvana.

In conformity with his hand
mudra, the essential message of Amitabha is that
of meditation. His association with the setting
sun suggests the withdrawal of our external sense
perceptions inwards, into higher states of meditative
concentration. Elevating ourselves to such a spiritual
level has the ultimate objective of uniting us with
that intangible Universal Consciousness which pervades
all tangible reality.

Amitabha thus provides us with
the archetypal infinite wisdom that helps us transmute
the negative trait of obsessive attachment into
a discerning awareness that we are all made up of
the same primitive substratum. So contemplating,
we are able to realize that the object we crave
for is not separate from us, and already as much
a part of ourselves as we are of it.

5). Amoghasiddhi The Lord of Karma (Tib. Donyo
Drup pa):

The fifth Dhyani Buddha is Amoghasiddhi,
whose distinctive emblem is the double dorje, also
known as the crossed vajra.

The hand mudra made by Amoghasiddhi
is the Abhaya mudra. Abhaya in Sanskrit means fearlessness.
Thus this mudra symbolizes protection, peace, and
the dispelling of fear.

According to the Buddhist tradition,
Buddha’s cousin Devadatta felt greatly jealous
of him. His jealousy knowing no bounds, he once
even attempted to murder the Buddha. His plan involved
loosing a rampaging elephant into the Buddha's path.
But as the elephant approached him, Buddha displayed
the Abhaya mudra, which immediately calmed the animal.
Accordingly, it indicates not only the appeasement
of the senses, but also the absence of fear.

Indeed, Amoghasiddhi’s
whole presence removes terror and fear. His body
is green, the color of the peace and tranquility
of Nature. It is a soothing and relaxing color,
which calms anxiety.

Amoghasiddhi rides on Garuda,
the half-man and half-eagle composite, who feeds
on snakes. Blessed with a telescopic vision, Garuda
can detect the presence of serpent-like negative
delusions plaguing our mortal frames even from a
considerable distance. Also, Garuda is associated
with the Himalayan ranges of the north, which is
the direction of Amoghasiddhi too.

Amoghasiddhi is particularly
associated with energy and is known as the Lord
of Karma. As a Buddha of action, he represents the
practical achievement of results using the wisdom
of the other four Buddhas. His double vajra too
is a symbol of the successive conclusion of all
actions. This is the reason why that after a deity
statue has been completed and consecrated, a crossed
vajra is inscribed upon the metal strip used to
seal its base.

The goddess Green Tara is believed
to have emanated from Amoghasiddhi and not surprisingly,
she too is deified as a deity of action in the Buddhist
pantheon. Indeed, Green Tara is always depicted
in a posture with her right leg extended, signifying
her readiness to spring into action.

Amoghasiddhi is believed to
alter the negative human failing of jealousy into
the positive wisdom of accomplishment. Jealousy
is a positive human emotion in as much that it fuels
our ambition and prompts us to achieve greater heights.
But its negativeness stems from the fact that it
is almost always accompanied by a bitterness towards
the one who is the target of our envy. When we are
able to ward off this associated feeling of resentment,
and realize at the same time that the object of
our jealousy is but a medium prompting us to greater
karma, leading to higher accomplishments, we would
have the read the message of Amoghasiddhi successfully.

Conclusion:

The five Dhyani Buddhas represent
the five basic types of human personality and demonstrate
the absolutely perfected form of these personality
types. Most importantly, each of them represents
a negative quality as well as the completely transformed
aspect of that failing, manifested as a glorious
wisdom. It is an ample demonstration of the genius
of Vajrayana Buddhism that these weaknesses are
not denied or suppressed. They are instead worked
upon, until their illusory nature is understood
and they become aspects of one’s inherent
wisdom.

We hope you have enjoyed reading the article. Any comments or feedback that you may have will be greatly appreciated.Please send your feedback to feedback@exoticindiaart.com.

Post a Comment

Hide my email address

i love the 5 dyani budhas, and i do his mantras since 1996, i changed my life !!!!!

by ALEXANDRE on 21st Oct 2008

This was an excellent article reviewing the different Buddhas that have walked upon this earth on which we live. This helps me in exploring further Buddhism and learn more about it 's practices...Execellent!!!

Angela

by Angela on 14th Dec 2004

An illuminating piece, offering an unexpected insight into the nature and intra-relatedness of the Dhyani Buddhas. As beings and at the same time symbols for psychophysical components, the five Buddhas are so often misunderstood regarding their true significance.
Homage to the Buddha, Dharma, and the Sangha!

by Mark McGuire on 21st Apr 2004

May you be blessed infinitely. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

by Ofosu on 15th Dec 2003

I'm sure I've read in another of your descriptions that the non-canonical Dhyani Buddhas are an introduction to Buddhism from the post-Gautama boddhisattva Manjushri who is credited with the draining of the Kathmandu valley, thereby gaining special acceptance in the hearts of the Newaris.
Is this person the same as the 'Persian' Mani, founder of Manicheanism, who is known to have travelled in India but who was finally martyred in his homeland? If so, his beliefs spread into the heartlands of the pre-Islamic Roman Empire and were for several years held by the later Christian St Augustine.

by Ian on 18th Oct 2003

from http:groups.yahoo.com/group/kruptos

thank a lot for all your work i had some toriffic feedback from the five meditating buddhas peoples really like it and it touch many peoples soul thank very much for the knowledge you share i hope this will transform into frutfull motivation
sincerly your
dr delorme-lyons nath

by dr nath on 30th Jul 2003

What a perfectly wonderful mailing you have sent. i'm sure that you have made many good days for wandering people. Many buddhist thoughts, so clearly written! I am very happy to be on your mailing list! May you continue long and well.

by Igor on 28th Jul 2003

Namaste Dear Sri,
Thank you most kindly for posting such Beautifully Clear Understandable Articles on the Eastern Spiritual Ways to the One Sureme Source. Sarvamangalam-Sri Premani Sai.

by SRI PREMANI SAI on 23rd Jul 2003

Thank you for your wonderfull and clear explanation on the Dyani Buddhas. It is a great help for people trying to understand the symbology in Tibetan Buddhism.

by Kathryn Sinclair on 20th Jul 2003

Thank you so much for the wonderfull, enlightening story about the Meditating Buddhas. And the illustrations are really inspiring!

Here is my story about the Five Wisdom Buddhas. In the local temple of my mountain village, there is a small park with a set of them in stone, about 70 cm each, not very inspiring as statues, but they have one speciality: The Buddhas of the four directions are placed in the four corners, facing their respective direction, while the center one faces the front, the viewer. Usually they are all placed in a way to face the viewer, the front, but ours are different! You can walk around them and look in each direction with them, enjoying the beautiful view over densely-forested mountains, bamboo groves and the Japanese Inland Sea. Well, one day I went up to the temple again and found the four Buddhas sitting facing the Center Buddha! I called the priest and asked what happened. Well, the local people have been cleaning the park and the Buddhas, wiping of spider webs and dust, but when they put them back, they did not know the correct way and made them look at the center! Then he went and changed the setting.

You can even have a look at them on a hand drawing:

http://www.chuotown.jp/eetoko/sakuhin/13113goti.htm

I guess, the Great Buddhas do not mind so much where they are facing, they are here to protect us and help us anyway! And after all, they are living in our Hearts and Minds.

Greetings from Japan

by Gabi Greve on 18th Jul 2003

Enjoyed the above article - well researched and presented beautifully. many Thanks

by Roshni on 18th Jul 2003

Thank you for your exceptional good webpage with so much goods. I am a western student of esoteric religion and your latest article on the five Dhyani Buddhas gave me the answer on a life long question I have had. 30 years ago in my youth I had the blissful vision of a golden Buddha with two lions on each side. In this article I found the explanation to my vision that ever since has been of great importance in my life and in my spiritual work. Now I know more exactly why I had this vision and why it has been of such great importance in my life. Thank you for this.

by Niels Christian Koelbek on 17th Jul 2003

Thank you very much for sending me the article on the five Buddhas, which proved to be highly instructive and beautifully illustrated. It is a real pleasure for me to read your articles from Exotic India, and especially those on Buddhism, in which I found many similarities with Christianism in terms of morality and human ideals. Your endeavours are really wonderful and praiseworthy.

With high regards,

by Cristina Vintilã on 17th Jul 2003

I enjoyed reading the article. Very informative and interesting. Thanks for sending it to me.

by Azeem Farooki on 17th Jul 2003

Thank you for your exceptional good webpage with so much goods. I am a western student of esoteric religion and your latest article on the five Dhyani Buddhas gave me the answer on a life long question I have had. 30 years ago in my youth I had the blissful vision of a golden Buddha with a lion on each side. In this article I found the explanation to my vision that ever since have been of great importance in my life and in my spiritual work. Now I know more exactly why I had this vision and why it has been of such great importance in my life. Thank you for this.

Yours sincerely

by Niels Christian Koelbek on 16th Jul 2003

Peaceful Greetings to All!!

This article was so clear, so uncomplicated that there was an immediate understanding !!

In Deepest Gratitude. . . .

by Michael Jasionis on 16th Jul 2003

Testimonials

Very easy to buy, great site! Thanks

Ilda, Brazil

Our Nandi sculpture arrived today and it surpasses all expectations - it is wonderful. We are not only pleasantly surprised by the speed of international delivery but also are extremely grateful for the care of your packaging. Our sculpture needed to travel to an off-lying island of New Zealand but it arrived safely because of how well it had been packaged. Based upon my experience of all aspects of your service, I have no hesitation in recommending Exotic India.

BWM, NZ

Best web site to shop on line.

Suman, USA

Thank you for having such a great website. I have given your site to all the people I get compliments on your merchandise.

Pat, Canada.

Love the website and the breadth of selection. Thanks for assembling such a great collection of art and sculpture.

Richard, USA

Another three books arrived during the last weeks, all of them diligently packed. Excellent reading for the the quieter days at the end of the year. Greetings to Vipin K. and his team.

Walter

Your products are uncommon yet have advanced my knowledge and devotion to Sanatana Dharma.
Also, they are reasonably priced and ship quickly.
Thank you for all you do.

Gregory, USA

Thank you kindly for the Cobra Ganesha from Mahabalipuram. The sculpture is exquisite quality and the service is excellent. I would not hesitate to order again or refer people to your business. Thanks again.

Shankar, UK

The variety, the quality and the very helpful price range of your huge stock means that every year I find a few new statues to add to our meditation room--and I always pick up a few new books and cds whenever I visit! keep up the good work!

"Whenever he gets the time, he should go and live amongst people who have given up worldly life…. A wise person should serve his body and family only to the extent that is functionally necessary…. The person who lays claim on the surplus wealth is nothing but a thief…. He should share all objects of enjoyment with everyone, right down to dogs, sinners…. Such is the attachment to one’s wife….How despicable is this body, which if buried is going to become the food of worms, or excreta if eaten by animals….Since a son is to thus revere his elders even after their death, what to say that he is expected to serve them when they are alive…. The person wishing to follow the path of dharma should steer clear of the five forms of Adharma."

"This middle path lies in between extreme asceticism on one side, and extreme indulgence on the other…. When standing under a Ashok tree, tired and exhausted, she raised her right hand for seeking support of a branch of the tree…. The unique balance that defined his entire life was pre-determined in this duality….One day, in the palace garden he frightened his attendants…. He ate less and less till his diet reduced to a sesame seed, and himself, to a mere skeleton…. Seven days after the attainment of enlightenment gods sent food for breaking his fast…. However, he postponed his ‘nirvana’ for three months till he visited the places he had reminiscences of."

"We assume that our happiness is the result of an interaction with external objects…. Suppose that an individual is deprived of sleep and food and pleasurable objects for a long time and then all of them are simultaneously offered to him…. Actually, seeking the answer to this question is the most significant pursuit in life…. The veil comes up again and the duality returns…. In this background, we can now analyse the nature of dukha (grief)."

"Her epithet in the Devi-Mahatmya is Mahalakshmi. She is the wrathful four-armed goddess of battlefield represented holding in them various weapons…. A form of Lakshmi seated over a lotus laid over a golden seat and a pair of white elephants…. Except in some classical forms in Lakshmi-Narayana imagery Lakshmi is ordinarily two-armed…. Incarnation theory is the crux of Vaishnavism. Vishnu incarnates alone but Lakshmi also incarnates in simultaneity…. Though very rare some enthused artists have conceived on Ardhanarishvara line also Vishnu’s Ardhanarishvara images."

"It concedes that for an orderly social life a division into four groups based on the principle of varnadharma is necessary…. Each individual sometimes acts in a sattvika manner while at other times he may act in rajasic or tamasic manner, which means that the manifestation of a particular guna depends on circumstances…. Though all the three gunas are present in everyone, different persons are driven to act differently…. The karma that I have to perform should depend on my inherent gunas and should have the ability to regulate these gunas…. There is no instant transition to moksha…. An individual has to make his way towards moksha only through worldly life."

"Here is a fragment from one of the most poignant episodes of Indian history…. This piece of history is from the Mahabharata…. She was dying with shame but inside, like a true kshatrani (woman of the warrior race), she was burning with anger…. I have heard that women who follow dharma were never brought before a public court….Greed is the destroyer of dharma. I do not desire a third boon…. Draupadi was as forgiving as mother earth herself…. Just then Arjuna saw his dear friend Bhagawan Krishna approaching him…. “Leave him, leave him. He is a brahmin and worthy of our worship. Their mother should not cry, like I have at the death of my children."

"But to pull this statement out of context and give it as an advice for anyone is far from correct…. But how is one to recognise the guru? Obviously, he will be able to understand the difficulties of the disciples and clarify to them the meaning of the scriptures on the basis of logic and experience….
They will have to search in their own neighbourhood only….The guru chosen by him should be at least better than himself!…. Of course, if the ideal guru whose features have been enumerated in the beginning is available, then the sadhaka should immediately go and surrender to him…. It is just like going to another teacher for higher education, after completing the education in a school."

"The Bhagavad Gita, while describing the qualities of a wise person says…. This verse is vividly illustrated in the story of king Rantideva occurring in the Srimad Bhagavatam…. He did not believe in hoarding, was above all attachments and was highly patient…. They were all trembling due to starvation and thirst….bowed to the dogs and their owner…. What I want is only this: That I be able to go and live in the hearts of all beings and undergo sufferings on their behalf, so that they may become free from all miseries."

"There is Rama, the son of Ayodhya's king Dasharatha in his human birth, and there is Rama's divinity, his divine aura that overwhelms the Tulasi's entire Ramacharit-manas, one manifest - with attributes, and the other, unmanifest - without attributes. With main emphasis on his majesty in South Indian tradition this crown is taller than usual. His 'khadgasana' images are usually in three modes; one with his right foot moved forward represents him in a commander's disposition ready to rush for protecting a devotee in crisis or redeem him from some calamity. Harihara, a form in which he shares with Shiva half of the body. Basically a bird Garuda is seen for ages as Vishnu's ardent devotee, a learned human being and an auspicious presence, and in iconographic tradition often conceived with a man's face, anatomy, ornaments and ensemble. The Puranas are replete with tales of Garuda's divine exploits."

"Only a certain fraction of this karma is chosen by God in order to form the blueprint of our next birth…. The fruit that one experiences in this birth is due to prarabdha and a portion of the present agami…. Similarly, a fish in the Ganga does not accrue punya because of always living in Ganga…. A good karma can be annulled by a bad karma and a bad one by a good one…. Sometimes we also hear that prarabdha cannot be got rid of. It has to be spent through…. Bhagawan Vyasa says that for the full result of the karma to manifest, three things are necessary…. Then how to understand the statement that prarabdha should unavoidably be experienced?"

"Actually, the one who worships Bhagwan Vishnu should get rich and the one who worships Shiva should become an avadhuta like Him…. Then he works hard again to acquire wealth. I render all his efforts futile…. However, Bhagawan Vishnu is not like that, it takes longer to please Him…. As a consequence, they later harassed the great God Himself…. On the seventh day, he bathed in the holy waters of Kedarnath and began to cut his head with an axe to offer into the fire…. The boy bowed respectfully before the demon and asked…. No one who commits sin against a great person can be safe and happy in this world."

"Contrarily metaphysicians and theologians perceived his form as it manifested in the Upanishads and Puranas….The ‘Advaita’ philosophy also contends that the entire Creation is just the extension of One…. Dance illustrates one of the ever-first cosmic acts with which Shiva seems to have tamed violent motion and separated from it rhythm, moves that communicated emotions and states of mind – human mind and the cosmic, and disciplined and defined pace…. Unlike Vishnu who resorted to dance for accomplishing a contemplated objective, Shiva has been conceived more or less as a regular dancer performing for accomplishing an objective as also for pure aesthetic delight…. Unfurling locks of hair and his snakes floating into space portray the dynamics of the act."

"During one such sacrifice, nine spiritually charged men entered the sacrificial hall….As for Bhagavat Dharma, it is the dharma spoken by God directly from his own mouth…. Like a person eating food finds himself gratified simultaneously in three ways…. We are all constantly taught by spiritual texts to offer or dedicate all our actions to God. However, the question remains as to how to practically carry out this injunction…..The only fruit of wealth is dharma... Therefore, there is no need for the Vedas to enjoin us to these things for which we already have a tendency….The real intention of the Vedic injunctions in these matters is to make a person abstain from them…”

"Once as he was engaged in puja, a saint came to visit him….Like a true householder attached to his family, Gajendra sported in the water with his wives, children and friends…. Understanding that his end was imminent, they all slowly withdrew, till Gajendra was left alone…. If we reflect on it calmly, we will realise that there is no house in the world where the story of Gajendra does not play out…. The one who is careful towards the end is able to reform his death….
Gajendra’s hymn of praise is one of the greatest philosophical poems in the annals of world literature."

"She has always believed that this would redeem her of her distress….A coconut, otherwise an ordinary dried fruit or the source of edible, or at the most, beauty oil, has always been revered as an auspicious object effecting good and well-being and the food that gods most loved….The tree in the Buddhist tradition was later identified as Bodhi-tree, seated under which Buddha had attained Enlightenment….Body gestures and symptoms, signs, indications among others must have been the early man’s tools of communicating oneself and knowing and understanding the world around….Kirttimukha was initially conceived as a mystical mask….Lion does not figure in the wide range of animal toys or figurines excavated from Indus sites."